April 11, 2007

SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's basketball head coach Steve Fisher announced the signing of guard D.J. Gay and forward Danny Tavares to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.

"We have added quality both on and off the court," Fisher said. "Both players fill needs and we look forward to having them have an opportunity to contribute next season."

Gay, a 6-0, 165-pound guard, attended Poly High in Sun Valley, Calif., where he ranked fifth in the state and 21st nationally in scoring, averaging 29.4 points per game as a senior. During his final year at Poly, Gay also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals and shot 81.3 percent from the foul line in leading the Parrots to a 24-6 overall record, including a 9-1 mark in the Sunset Six League.

"D.J. is a terrific young man who excels in both the classroom and on the basketball floor," Fisher said. "He is a prolific scorer who will be a very good addition at the guard spot."

As one of the top scorers in the country, Gay had games of 30 or more points on 12 different occasions in 2006-07, scored at least 40 points three times and posted a school-record 56 points against Van Nuys High School in January. In addition to being ranked among the national leaders in scoring, Gay was the 13th-best prep player in three-point field goals made (243) and ranked 33rd in three-point field goals per game (3.7).

Gay chose San Diego State after receiving interest from Arizona State, USC, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oregon State, UC Irvine and Pepperdine.

Tavares is a 6-8, 220-pound forward from Ventura (Calif.) College, who originally hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. Tavares spent the last two seasons at Ventura where he helped the Pirates to the 2006 Western State Conference championship. This past season, he led Ventura to a 27-7 record and a trip to the semifinals of the junior college state tournament.

"Danny brings maturity and experience from the junior college level," Fisher said. "He has the versatility to play inside and out and will be a very welcomed addition on the front line."

Last season, Tavares averaged 16.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and shot 54.9 percent from the field. The Brooklyn native finished his Pirate career as a two-time all-state selection and leaves as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots.

Tavares signed with SDSU after receiving interest from Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oregon State, Nebraska and Utah State.

Gay and Tavares join 6-6, 225-pound Tim Shelton (Clovis High, Fresno, Calif.) and 6-7, 190-pound Billy White (Green Valley High, Las Vegas, Nev.) who inked with the Aztecs during the early signing period last November.

Last season, San Diego State advanced to the second round of the MasterCard NIT and finished the campaign with a 22-11 record. It marked the second consecutive postseason appearance for the Aztecs, who have won 46 games the last two seasons. SDSU is coming off a school-record home attendance average of 7,821, an increase of 11.5 percent from the 2005-06 campaign.

San Diego State is scheduled to return nine of its top 11 scorers from last season's team, including starters Lorrenzo Wade (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Jerome Habel (10.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Richie Williams (7.0 ppg, 4.6 apg).

The regular National of Letter of Intent signing period ends May 16.